Index	Previous Page (36)	Next Page (38)

* To allow users to move about within the site
* To tell users what information is available at the link
* To work with location indicators to orientate users

A good navigation control:
* Is clear: it looks like navigation
* Leads to obvious content - users have a good idea what they will find if they click
* Is consistent with other navigation controls
* Is predictable in its style and location on the page

What to include in the Main Navigation Controls
Having broken your content into categories you need a link to each category in the main navigation bar. Some categories will be a single page; others will be whole directories of pages. It helps to think of sections with a lot of content as mini sites, each with its own home page to which the main navigation link goes and which can be used to further orientate the user. Each section can also have its own subsidiary navigation if it contains multiple pages.

Note that links to other sites should NEVER appear in the main navigation controls.

Secondary Navigation
Secondary navigation is important for the following reasons.

* If a user gets lost then a drop down box, search function or a site map provides an opportunity for them to quickly re-orientate themselves or get back to a familiar page
* A site map page can provide more detail about what is in each section of the site than a navigation bar can
* Secondary navigation provides a quick way for users to get to content at a deep level, especially in areas of the site where there is a lot of content
* Most, if not all, sites will benefit from the inclusion of some form of secondary navigation.
Communicating to your visitors with colors, background and text
In how many different ways does your website communicate to your visitors? One of them is determined by the choice of colors, background and text you use.

During site creation, it is very easy to fall into the trap of “if I can, I will” thinking. This method of thinking is very dangerous. The premise is if I can create a site with 256 differently colored words, backgrounds and graphics, I will. Your site may look great, but what will you accomplish? The disadvantage in creating a single site with dozens of different colors is color compatibility between different operating systems, monitors and browsers. If the browser of your visitor cannot show an exact color from your website, it will choose the closest or mix the nearest two colors. This is called dithering. The result can be something you did not want or expect.

Index	Previous Page (36)	Next Page (38)